Johannesburg - The Lions have one helluva fixture list coming up in the next 10 weeks and will be travelling left and right across South Africa and up and down to Europe and back.
They can take solace in the fact that they won't be the only South African franchise doing so – the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers will have similar challenges in the weeks to come. During the next few weeks an all too familiar foe will reveal itself in the form of the Dragons.
The Joburgers will get to know the Welsh franchise inside-out as they face them on a handful of occasions in the next two months. The first in a trilogy of matches makes its opening on Sunday, the premier at Ellis Park in a United Rugby Championship clash.
It will be followed by the sequel on December 11, also at home, in their first Challenge Cup encounter, which will be wrapped up in late January at Rodney Parade. So, Sunday’s clash could set the tone for those matches and whether the follow-ups will be brooding on-field takes or more triumphant releases.
It is a sentiment Lions wing Edwill van der Merwe shared yesterday during a media briefing.
“We are playing them three times in a short span of time and we will obviously work hard to get the results in both competitions,” said the fleet-footed Van der Merwe.
“We are playing against a quality side who are paying much better this year when compared to last season. They are a team that loves running the ball and they also love attacking kicks, so we expect a good running rugby game.
“That is also something that we want to do. We are looking forward to a good match on Sunday.”
Earlier this week, Van der Merwe’s backline teammate on his inside, Henco van Wyk, revealed that the Lions would be looking to employ a running game plan in an effort to move a big and physical Dragons pack around the park. Van der Merwe reaffirmed this notion.
“By speeding up the game, obviously the most important thing is getting gainline carries – the forwards and back getting over the gain line,” said Van der Merwe.
“That is where you start gaining momentum and then you can speed up the game. Firstly, we want to win the physical battle – that is a part of this Lions side, being a physical team. We have to do that over the weekend, so that from there we can speed up the game.”
Van der Merwe will hope that such tactics will see him over the tryline this weekend. So far, he has scored only one try during the URC, a return that he will want to improve over the next few months. The Lions will also be looking to finally secure a home win in the URC season after failing to do so on three previous occasions.
Coach Ivan van Rooyen will name his matchday 23 for the clash tomorrow. He will be able to select from a full-strength team, fit and ready as there are currently no injury concerns within his squad.